Federation President Henry Rajendra met with Cuban Ambassador Gilma Moreira Lino in Sydney on Friday 6 March. The union supports international calls for the US to end the illegal blockade of Cuba, which is causing schools to shut and forcing students and teachers to go without food and medicine.
The US blockade of Cuba has been called a “serious violation of international law and a grave threat to a democratic and equitable international order” by UN experts including Ben Saul.
Some school operations have been affected across the country.
The situation is urgently deteriorating. In an interview with The Associated Press, Cuba’s Health Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda said US sanctions are no longer just crippling the island’s economy, they’re threatening “basic human safety”.
Due to the seriousness of these concerns and Federation’s opposition to the collective punishment of students and teachers, Federation Officers and activists attended a peaceful demonstration to call for the end of the blockade at Town Hall on Saturday 28 February.
Federation calls for the end of the blockade and calls on the Australian Government to provide assistance and support to the Cuban people. ACTU Congress policy (reaffirmed in 2025) states: “The US blockade affects every single family in Cuba and undermines its right to self-determination. Since 1996 Australia has voted against the US blockade at the UN General Assembly with only the US and Israel continuing to vote in favour of the inhumane blockade. Congress calls for an immediate end to the blockade.”